Maxg
03-05-2002, 05:41 PM
This is long, but it's a few snippets to keep your eye out for.
If one had to nominate the most used, or abused word, describing Saltwater fly fishing, from the 1960's through to the end of the 1980's it would be "potential".
It always had great potential but it never seemed to achieve the heights expected of it, until the last few years. Then it went "Boom" and the potential became practicality.
Most of those involved wanted the sport to become a generally accepted part of the Australian sportfishing system, but we all, I believe, did it for a totally personal reason. That reason was, quite simply, that it is a wonderful way to fish.
Other people may have different views of the happenings of those times. But in perspective it seemed obvious that the only people likely to graduate from other fishing methods to saltwater fly-fishing were those anglers who were active in sportfishing.
There is a saying that "If you cannot stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen". Consequently, some of our expert anglers refused to recognise that a saltwater fly kitchen existed and in doing so assured that they could not be burned. It was, after all, not “real fishing”.
It wasn't really apathy, it was a fear that any attempt to graduate to a sport as difficult and dangerous, as saltwater fly fishing appeared to be in 1970, might run aground on the shoals and reefs of the sport. Thus reputations would be dented and ego's peeled like apples. It was better not to attempt it than to founder in the doing of it.
Added to this was the generally held belief that fly-fishing tackle was not adequate for salt water fish and those anglers that did this strange thing were, without doubt, lunatics.
The catalist for change was the advent of Lefty’s Deceiver and the Bimini Twist. When they appeared results improved and it eventually resulted in a sort of domino effect. Once a few noted anglers moved easily and successfully into saltwater fly-fishing it became apparent that not to be in it was an indication of a lack of something in ones sportfishing package. Suddenly it became fashionable to be waving a fly rod around the salt.
In fact it became not only fashionable but absolutely necessary if you were to have any status at all. It is now something of a cult, and it has a sort of cult following. Cult may not be the right word, but Saltwater fly-fishing has become the boom angling sport of the 1990's.
Maybe early man copied the activities of birds, like the African Blue Heron.
What is a bit stunning about this bird is that it fly-fishes, and believe it or not, with a dry fly. The Heron has a habit of standing on a log in a stream and picking an insect from a nearby bush, drops it on the surface of the water. The insect drifts downstream and the bird allows it to travel only as far as it can reach and then retrives it and starts the process again.
When a fish, probably the native South African Yellowfish, rises to the insect the Heron despatches the fish. When there are no insects it uses a small twig or a seed. And that is the interesting bit, that a bird can decide that the twig or seed appears much the same as an insect to the fish.
This tends to point to the fact that it isn’t the insect, or its imitation that deceives the fish but the shape and contrast against the bright water ceiling.
No doubt the bird had previously seen fish rise to small floating objects like leaves, twigs and seeds as well as insects. Birds are pretty intelligent and obviously the Blue Heron is a bit smarter than the average fish.
I get a picture of a hunter of past times, resting after long hours of trying to spear fish, seeing the activities of a Blue Heron recognises that here is a means of time saving effort, and a means of getting more fish for the pot.
It might be a bit far fetched but progressing from casting insects, twigs or seeds onto the water to bring the fish to spears to using the same things as bait on a fishing line isn’t out of the question and is a pretty basic reason for the emergence of fly-fishing.
Although angling, or more correctly 'dibbing or daping', was a well practiced fishing method all over 15th century Europe, the first known reference to angling in England are quotes taken from an original manuscript, part of which is in the Trinity College Cambridge, entitled "Piers ffulham", supposed to have been written about the year 1420.
The preface to this tract of “Piers of Fulham” states,
"Loo, worshipfull sirs, here after ffolleweth a gentlymanly treatyse full conveyent for contemplatiff louers to rede and understond, made by the noble Clerke Piers of ffulham, sum tyme ussher of Venus Schole, which hath beieflye complyled many praty conceytis in loue under covert terms of ffysshynge and ffowlyng".
“But in rennyng ryvers that bee commone,
There I will fisshe and taake my fortune
Wyth nettys, and wyth angle hookys,
And laye weris and sprenteris in narrow brookys,
For loochis, and lampreyes, and good layk,
I will stele off no mans strayke”.
Rather than Walton being first in writing his book for the contemplative man's recreation, “The noble Clerk Piers of ffulham”, 200 years before Izzac, penned his words for those same gentlemen.
Although movable type for printing was in use in China during the Sung Dynasty, (960-1279 AD), it is recognised that a German printer, Johann Gutenberg (1400-1468) invented movable type, which allowed typesetting. In 1455 he produced the Gutenberg Bible.
This “invention” coincided with the publication of books on a number of subjects in England by Caxton (1422-1491) and Wynkyn de Worde.
In 1475, while living in Cologne, where he learned the printing trade, Caxton printed the first book in the English language, “Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye”.
He returned to England in 1476 and set up a press in Westminster. In 1477 he printed the first book published in England, the “Dictes or Sayengis of the Philosophres” and in 1478 “The Canterbury Tales” by Geoffry Chaucer, (1342-1400).
Caxton printed the first illustrated English book, the “Myrrour of the Worlde” in 1481, which was an encyclopedia, and in 1483 translated and printed “Aesop’s Fables”.
The dialect used by Chaucer in the “Canterbury Tales” actually established the literary language of the English speaking people. Caxton was regarded as the first professional printer in England.
In 1486 the "Boke of St Albans", the so called first sporting work in the English language was printed at the Abbey of St Albans. It was divided into three parts: the first part treats Hawking, the second Hunting, and the third Coat-Armour.
Ten years later, in 1496, Wynkyn de Worde, a one time Caxton apprentice, and reckoned to be Englands first genuinly commercial printer, at Westminster, issued a second edition of "The Boke of St Albans".
This edition was important to the angling fraternity because it contained a dissertation, "Treatyfe of Fyffhynge Wyth an Angle" attributed to Juliana Berners, which went into particulars and showed that anglers of that time were familiar with rods, line, hooks, leads and floats.
Juliana was in fact the Lady Julian Berners, daughter of Sir James Berners of Berners Roding in Essex. She was the Prioress of the nunnery at Sopewell, near St Albans and the first edition of “The Boke” was printed in the Abbey of St Albans.
Juliana’s “Treatyfe of Fyffhynge wyth an Angle” is quite definitely a copy of a document written about 1450, author unknown, part of which still exists in the Yale University Library. This was itself a copy of a document, again author unknown, produced about 1420.
That Juliana copied the work of earlier authors is not that important since both Mascall, Walton and others, in later years, did exactly the same thing to Juliana. What was important was that Juliana and Wynkyn de Worde printed it for the world to see.
And that, in itself, is of great historical importance. As far as fishing is concerned, it is equally as important as some of the most momentous historical events in history. This is because it was part of one of the first books printed in England by a commercial printer, it was the first printed, or published, work on fishing in the English language and it shifted the Englishmans knowledge of fly-fishing, and the details of the tackle, from word of mouth to book form.
Waltons second Edition, 1655, mentioned such a reel on page 189; he called it a "wheele".
But, five hundred years before Baker and Walton a painting, "Fisherman on a River in Winter", attributed to 12th century Chinese artist Ma Yuan clearly shows a rod and reel combination being used by the fisherman.
The rod was short with guides and the reel appears to be a “Scarborough” type and not much different from reels in use today. It is of large diameter with spokes.
This tackle was obviously in regular use in China in 1100 A.D. and the differences in the tackle from that of the 15th century “Treatyse”, is staggering.
The Chinese were well into all things piscatorial, maybe 1000 years ahead of European practise, and their paintings clearly show this lead.
Ma Yuan’s 12th century Chinese fisherman doesn’t seem to be doing anything greatly different from 20th century river anglers fishing from alloy dingys in winter. That is, freezing very slowly around the lower extremities.
Actually, at the time Juliana's Treatyse was printed there were two other English papers in and around the place. Still around, and may papoers at Tengnersee, in Germany. there were about 50 fly patters in existance in 1300.
Just bits to jog your memory.
You see no-body has, in print or otherwise, given Gutenburg the credit for being the catalist for fishing's rise to fame. But he was. And I do.
Cheers. Max
If one had to nominate the most used, or abused word, describing Saltwater fly fishing, from the 1960's through to the end of the 1980's it would be "potential".
It always had great potential but it never seemed to achieve the heights expected of it, until the last few years. Then it went "Boom" and the potential became practicality.
Most of those involved wanted the sport to become a generally accepted part of the Australian sportfishing system, but we all, I believe, did it for a totally personal reason. That reason was, quite simply, that it is a wonderful way to fish.
Other people may have different views of the happenings of those times. But in perspective it seemed obvious that the only people likely to graduate from other fishing methods to saltwater fly-fishing were those anglers who were active in sportfishing.
There is a saying that "If you cannot stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen". Consequently, some of our expert anglers refused to recognise that a saltwater fly kitchen existed and in doing so assured that they could not be burned. It was, after all, not “real fishing”.
It wasn't really apathy, it was a fear that any attempt to graduate to a sport as difficult and dangerous, as saltwater fly fishing appeared to be in 1970, might run aground on the shoals and reefs of the sport. Thus reputations would be dented and ego's peeled like apples. It was better not to attempt it than to founder in the doing of it.
Added to this was the generally held belief that fly-fishing tackle was not adequate for salt water fish and those anglers that did this strange thing were, without doubt, lunatics.
The catalist for change was the advent of Lefty’s Deceiver and the Bimini Twist. When they appeared results improved and it eventually resulted in a sort of domino effect. Once a few noted anglers moved easily and successfully into saltwater fly-fishing it became apparent that not to be in it was an indication of a lack of something in ones sportfishing package. Suddenly it became fashionable to be waving a fly rod around the salt.
In fact it became not only fashionable but absolutely necessary if you were to have any status at all. It is now something of a cult, and it has a sort of cult following. Cult may not be the right word, but Saltwater fly-fishing has become the boom angling sport of the 1990's.
Maybe early man copied the activities of birds, like the African Blue Heron.
What is a bit stunning about this bird is that it fly-fishes, and believe it or not, with a dry fly. The Heron has a habit of standing on a log in a stream and picking an insect from a nearby bush, drops it on the surface of the water. The insect drifts downstream and the bird allows it to travel only as far as it can reach and then retrives it and starts the process again.
When a fish, probably the native South African Yellowfish, rises to the insect the Heron despatches the fish. When there are no insects it uses a small twig or a seed. And that is the interesting bit, that a bird can decide that the twig or seed appears much the same as an insect to the fish.
This tends to point to the fact that it isn’t the insect, or its imitation that deceives the fish but the shape and contrast against the bright water ceiling.
No doubt the bird had previously seen fish rise to small floating objects like leaves, twigs and seeds as well as insects. Birds are pretty intelligent and obviously the Blue Heron is a bit smarter than the average fish.
I get a picture of a hunter of past times, resting after long hours of trying to spear fish, seeing the activities of a Blue Heron recognises that here is a means of time saving effort, and a means of getting more fish for the pot.
It might be a bit far fetched but progressing from casting insects, twigs or seeds onto the water to bring the fish to spears to using the same things as bait on a fishing line isn’t out of the question and is a pretty basic reason for the emergence of fly-fishing.
Although angling, or more correctly 'dibbing or daping', was a well practiced fishing method all over 15th century Europe, the first known reference to angling in England are quotes taken from an original manuscript, part of which is in the Trinity College Cambridge, entitled "Piers ffulham", supposed to have been written about the year 1420.
The preface to this tract of “Piers of Fulham” states,
"Loo, worshipfull sirs, here after ffolleweth a gentlymanly treatyse full conveyent for contemplatiff louers to rede and understond, made by the noble Clerke Piers of ffulham, sum tyme ussher of Venus Schole, which hath beieflye complyled many praty conceytis in loue under covert terms of ffysshynge and ffowlyng".
“But in rennyng ryvers that bee commone,
There I will fisshe and taake my fortune
Wyth nettys, and wyth angle hookys,
And laye weris and sprenteris in narrow brookys,
For loochis, and lampreyes, and good layk,
I will stele off no mans strayke”.
Rather than Walton being first in writing his book for the contemplative man's recreation, “The noble Clerk Piers of ffulham”, 200 years before Izzac, penned his words for those same gentlemen.
Although movable type for printing was in use in China during the Sung Dynasty, (960-1279 AD), it is recognised that a German printer, Johann Gutenberg (1400-1468) invented movable type, which allowed typesetting. In 1455 he produced the Gutenberg Bible.
This “invention” coincided with the publication of books on a number of subjects in England by Caxton (1422-1491) and Wynkyn de Worde.
In 1475, while living in Cologne, where he learned the printing trade, Caxton printed the first book in the English language, “Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye”.
He returned to England in 1476 and set up a press in Westminster. In 1477 he printed the first book published in England, the “Dictes or Sayengis of the Philosophres” and in 1478 “The Canterbury Tales” by Geoffry Chaucer, (1342-1400).
Caxton printed the first illustrated English book, the “Myrrour of the Worlde” in 1481, which was an encyclopedia, and in 1483 translated and printed “Aesop’s Fables”.
The dialect used by Chaucer in the “Canterbury Tales” actually established the literary language of the English speaking people. Caxton was regarded as the first professional printer in England.
In 1486 the "Boke of St Albans", the so called first sporting work in the English language was printed at the Abbey of St Albans. It was divided into three parts: the first part treats Hawking, the second Hunting, and the third Coat-Armour.
Ten years later, in 1496, Wynkyn de Worde, a one time Caxton apprentice, and reckoned to be Englands first genuinly commercial printer, at Westminster, issued a second edition of "The Boke of St Albans".
This edition was important to the angling fraternity because it contained a dissertation, "Treatyfe of Fyffhynge Wyth an Angle" attributed to Juliana Berners, which went into particulars and showed that anglers of that time were familiar with rods, line, hooks, leads and floats.
Juliana was in fact the Lady Julian Berners, daughter of Sir James Berners of Berners Roding in Essex. She was the Prioress of the nunnery at Sopewell, near St Albans and the first edition of “The Boke” was printed in the Abbey of St Albans.
Juliana’s “Treatyfe of Fyffhynge wyth an Angle” is quite definitely a copy of a document written about 1450, author unknown, part of which still exists in the Yale University Library. This was itself a copy of a document, again author unknown, produced about 1420.
That Juliana copied the work of earlier authors is not that important since both Mascall, Walton and others, in later years, did exactly the same thing to Juliana. What was important was that Juliana and Wynkyn de Worde printed it for the world to see.
And that, in itself, is of great historical importance. As far as fishing is concerned, it is equally as important as some of the most momentous historical events in history. This is because it was part of one of the first books printed in England by a commercial printer, it was the first printed, or published, work on fishing in the English language and it shifted the Englishmans knowledge of fly-fishing, and the details of the tackle, from word of mouth to book form.
Waltons second Edition, 1655, mentioned such a reel on page 189; he called it a "wheele".
But, five hundred years before Baker and Walton a painting, "Fisherman on a River in Winter", attributed to 12th century Chinese artist Ma Yuan clearly shows a rod and reel combination being used by the fisherman.
The rod was short with guides and the reel appears to be a “Scarborough” type and not much different from reels in use today. It is of large diameter with spokes.
This tackle was obviously in regular use in China in 1100 A.D. and the differences in the tackle from that of the 15th century “Treatyse”, is staggering.
The Chinese were well into all things piscatorial, maybe 1000 years ahead of European practise, and their paintings clearly show this lead.
Ma Yuan’s 12th century Chinese fisherman doesn’t seem to be doing anything greatly different from 20th century river anglers fishing from alloy dingys in winter. That is, freezing very slowly around the lower extremities.
Actually, at the time Juliana's Treatyse was printed there were two other English papers in and around the place. Still around, and may papoers at Tengnersee, in Germany. there were about 50 fly patters in existance in 1300.
Just bits to jog your memory.
You see no-body has, in print or otherwise, given Gutenburg the credit for being the catalist for fishing's rise to fame. But he was. And I do.
Cheers. Max